In April 2022, we found out we were expecting a new addition to our family. We'd planned a lovely trip to the Hudson Valley to celebrate both of our birthdays and also our secret good news.
The second time around, having both a demanding job and a demanding 2-year-old, I was extremely distracted throughout the pregnancy. Like the last one, it wasn't easy breezy. At week 10, my OBGYN announced she would no longer be taking my insurance. After a frantic search, being declined to be seen by over 20 doctors due to "how far along" my pregnancy was (!!!), I found someone willing to take me on. Surprisingly, I liked her even better than my original OBGYN. Starting at 12 weeks, I began taking baby aspirin to prevent a recurrence of pre-term preeclampsia. It worked! But at 36 weeks, as soon as the pregnancy was no longer considered pre-term, the preeclampsia returned and I was back on blood pressure meds, seeing a cardiologist, and monitoring my health with extreme caution.
Perhaps the biggest hiccup of this pregnancy was the fact that the baby was breech starting at month 4 and continuing through to my last prenatal scan. I was scheduled for a c-section at 38 weeks. Disappointed at this turn of events, I went into the hospital on December 6 at 9:30AM. I was scheduled for surgery at 12:30PM but, of course, there were delays. I sat in triage without food or water the entire day. I was exhausted and nervous but very ready to get the whole thing over with. At around 3:00, a resident came in to do an ultrasound to confirm the baby's position before everyone scrubbed in to cut me open. The resident immediately announced that she couldn't find the baby's head. I not-so-jokingly told her that she wasn't instilling a lot of confidence. A nurse also confirmed that she couldn't see the baby's head. I asked for my doctor to be called in. She took one look at the monitor and announced that in the 11th hour, the baby had flipped and was head down!
Everything after that was a whirlwind. The surgery was cancelled and I was moved into labor and delivery room 9 for an induction...but not before I had the chance to eat dinner, thank goodness! At 5:00PM, my doctor came by to explain that I'd be starting off with Pitocin. We would reassess in a few hours to see if other measures were needed to get my cervix to 3cm. Labor began right around 5:30. I was only 1cm dilated to start. At 8:30, my cervix was checked. I'd reached 3cm dilated. No additional meds or a foley balloon would be needed (YAY a huge relief!). On the flip side, there was no way of knowing how long this could take so I got an epidural at around 9:00. The anesthesiologist that came in was in high demand. His beeper was going off nonstop. I crossed my fingers and toes and said a prayer that this time around, things would be better and that the epidural wouldn't fail. My prayers were answered and the drugs were GLORIOUS. The second they kicked in, I took a nap. A resident came in and broke my waters and I didn't feel a thing.
At 10:30, the epidural was wearing off a bit and my contractions were getting intense. I opted not to press the magic button for more meds with the hope that things would move quicker. A resident came by to check out the situation and said I was at 4cm and to keep relaxing while I could. Not long after, there was a scary moment when the baby's heart rate dropped suddenly and my nurse rushed in. All things stabilized quickly but I was feeling like the time to meet our baby was fast approaching. At 11:30, I asked for my cervix to be checked again. The resident reluctantly checked me again only to announce that I was at 9cm and things were moving quickly. By 12:15AM, I was feeling ready to push. Unlike last time, my nurse was with me the whole time, as was an intern. It was all much less scary and lonely. My doctor showed up at 12:30 and scrubbed in. It was almost time. Since I could feel most of what was happening, I had a good handle on the pushing. At 12:45, I was put into position and told to push. 3 pushes later, the baby was out. It was incredible—7 minutes of pushing and I was a mother of 2!
After basking in the glow of having a new baby in my arms, I noticed my doctor dashing about. The placenta hadn't been delivered in a timely fashion so the doctor had to do a few really painful maneuvers to get it out. Once that was over with, it was time to stitch up my second degree tearing. I wasn't numb while she was stitching me up so she had to give me a few shots to numb the area (OUCH!) as she was mending my lady bits. This time around the doctor placed 2 long stitches and they were a lot less painful than whatever I had the first time around plus they healed so quickly—in just about a week!
Shortly after my release from the hospital, my blood pressure started spiking. I was a total emotional wreck on a ton of meds but, thankfully with a vaginal birth, the healing process was a quick one. 3 weeks after Audrey was born, the postpartum preeclampsia was gone and I was feeling more and more like myself every day.
Audrey is a feisty, smiley, adorable little addition to our family. She loves to be around people and be all up in our business at all times. Claire has faced this big life change with grace—she acted out a bit in preschool at first before fully embracing sisterhood. She has been super gentle and totally in love with her new sister ever since.
After she hits the 4 month mark, she'll start attending daycare at the same loving, warm, nurturing daycare Claire attended.
The transition from 1-2 kids is nowhere near as hard as the life shift of becoming first time parents. Alex and I are over the moon for our new little gal. She looks just like Alex and is super cuddly. We are soaking up every minute with her until we return to work. I got 18 weeks of maternity leave and Alex had 6 weeks of paternity leave. I wish I had more time but am grateful for each second.
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